The Wheeling (West Virginia) Nailers, a Penguins and Montreal Canadiens minor-league affiliate, are for sale and might be in their last season in Wheeling, Shawn Rine of the Wheeling News-Register reports.
↵↵↵It's believed that new local ownership is perferred, though all avenues are being explored. If an owner is not found, the team will go dark next season.
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This is the 20th season of Wheeling pro hockey. In the past two seasons, however, the Nailers have played many of their home games in Johnstown, PA.
↵Rine notes that the relationship between Nailers owners Rob and Jim Brooks and the city of Wheeling have recently been strained, and the owners have fought with WesBanco Arena regarding recent renovations as well.
↵The Nailers' Twitter page makes no announcement of an impending sale.
↵This news is a little strange for me -- I haven't lived in Wheeling since 1998, but I grew up there, and the Nailers are an important part of the culture of the town.
↵For more on the Penguins, check out PensBurgh.